One of our Chinese Long Bean plants has just looked a little bit strange since it started growing, but I just let it keep growing. Here’s a leaf as it looks right now.

Can you kind of see the random mottling (almost mosaic) pattern of light and dark green? That make our plant pathology folks and me think that it is one of the many types of viruses that affect beans. There isn’t any cure, and it’s important that it doesn’t spread to other plants. Usually a virus like this is transmitted by infected seed. (So seed harvested from this plant would likely be infected.) The virus is transmitted from plant to plant by aphids. Luckily, we haven’t had many aphids in the bean patch this year! Pulling the plant out will be the order of the day next week, after I’ve had the chance to show it off at Lunch in the Garden tomorrow.

Speaking of Lunch in the Garden, we’re trying out a Swiss Chard recipe, so you should all come!